From the region

NORTHBORO — A Northboro man, a professor at Clark University, remained in critical condition Tuesday after he was struck by a tractor-trailer Monday morning on Interstate 290 west.

State police Tuesday identified the 42-year-old as John Garton. Officials at UMass Memorial Medical Center — University Campus in Worcester said Mr. Garton was in critical condition.

State police said the circumstances of the case remain under investigation.

Preliminary reports show that shortly after 9 a.m. Mr. Garton pulled his 2000 Honda Civic into the breakdown lane on I-290 west near Exit 24. A short time later he was hit by a passing tractor-trailer.

Mr. Garton is an associate professor of art history at Clark University in Worcester.

“Our hearts go out to professor Garton and his family and we are hopeful for his full recovery,” Clark President David Angel said Tuesday.

WORCESTER — Jury deliberations are scheduled to resume today in the Worcester Superior Court trial of Elvin Gonzalez, one of four men charged in a 2010 shootout on Lawrence Street.

Shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday, after deliberating for about 10 hours over two days, the jurors sent Judge Richard T. Tucker a note asking what they were to do if they were unable to reach a “consensus.” Verdicts in criminal cases must be unanimous.

Judge Tucker told the seven women and five men of the jury to keep deliberating. The jury deliberated for about another 40 minutes before being excused for the night by the judge.

Mr. Gonzalez, 31, is charged with armed assault with intent to murder, assault with a dangerous weapon and firearm offenses in connection with a Jan. 2, 2010, exchange of gunfire that left bullet holes in homes and a business in the Lawrence and Kansas streets neighborhood off Cambridge Street.

There were no injuries. Prosecutors said 30 to 40 shots were fired.

Mr. Gonzalez and three other men allegedly got out of a car parked at the corner of Kansas and Lawrence streets shortly before 5 p.m. Jan. 2, 2010, and opened fire on the occupants of a sport utility vehicle traveling down Lawrence Street.

Fernando Davis, a passenger in the SUV, allegedly returned the gunfire. He and two other alleged participants in the shootout are also under indictment in the case.

HOLDEN — Nomination papers for the May 13 annual town election are available in the town clerk’s office.

In addition to the moderator’s one-year seat, currently held by George Balko, there are two three-year seats available on the Board of Selectmen; James Jumonville and Robert Lavigne currently hold those seats.

There are two three-year terms for trustees of the Damon Memorial library; the incumbents are Nina Mazloff and Susan Reynolds.

The Wachusett Regional School District Committee is adding two members to the committee, both from Holden. The additional seats are required by the regional agreement because of Holden’s population increase relative to that of Paxton and Princeton.

Three seats, each for three years, are available on the school committee. Incumbent Duncan Leith has said publicly he will not seek re-election; incumbent Cynthia Bazinet has not indicated whether she will run. The third seat is one of the newly created seats.

Two seats, each for one year, are also available. One seat is the remaining portion of Kristine Goodwin’s term; Ms. Goodwin resigned her seat and Kenneth Mills was appointed by selectmen to fill the vacancy. The second one-year seat is also a new seat on the committee.

Two seats are available on the Holden Housing Authority, a five-year term and a four-year term. Claire Zukowski currently holds the five-year seat.

Papers are available until 5 p.m. March 21 and must be returned before 5 p.m. March 25. Fifty signatures of registered town voters are required to be on the ballot.

Assistant Town Clerk Dale Hickey said the last day for unregistered voters to register to vote is April 23.

WORCESTER — The Massachusetts Life Science Center has given North High School almost $65,000 to buy equipment to train students to work in the life sciences field, the School Committee learned Thursday night.

The money will buy equipment including probes that can measure dissolved oxygen in water samples. Other equipment will include calculators and heart-rate monitors, according to the school district.

WORCESTER — The city’s elementary schools are offering extra academic help in a different way now that they have more flexibility under the state’s No Child Left Behind waiver.

Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, the district had to set aside a specific percentage of its federal Title 1 money, which is aimed at poor children, for after-school tutoring and other measures to improve students’ math and English language arts abilities.

Under the waiver, the district is allowed to let each Title 1 school decide for itself what would most benefit its students.

Most of the 17 schools are hiring one or more tutors to work with students daily, while some are buying books or using the money for other programs.

Only four of the 17 schools will have an after-school program as some component of their efforts, the School Committee learned last week. Chandler Elementary Community— designated a low-performing, or Level 4, school in 2010 — will not have an after-school program, but will have offerings during school vacations and on three Saturdays for each grade level for students in Grades 3-6.

During the last academic year, 26 elementary schools had after-school programs using Title 1 money, according to Marco Rodrigues, the district’s chief academic officer.

The amount of money being spent this year varies by school, Mr. Rodrigues said. The total is approximately $350,000, which is less than was spent last year.

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